Chapter 2 Claimed by my captor

Selene pov

His long black hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail, framing the sharp lines of his almond-shaped face. His lips ...full and pink ...looked almost too soft for someone like him.

His eyes, a piercing shade of green, burned with intensity and cruel amusement.

He looked more feminine than I did, almost delicate even ...but there was nothing soft about the way he stood. His body was muscular, it showed strength. My head barely reached his chest.

Yes, this man was handsome unnaturally so. But all I saw was the devil in disguise.

"Come to me, Selene," he said,

I didn't move. My gaze slid past him, scanning the terrain behind his broad shoulders.

That's when I saw a cliff, not too far off, hidden behind a rise of stone and thickets. My pulse spiked,that was my way out.

I smiled meant to serve as a distraction.

I took one step back.

"You're coming back to Blackthorn with me," he said, voice tightening. "Now."

I tilted my head, my voice low and sultry as I met his gaze. "And if I say no?"

His eyes darkened with interest, but I could feel the caution there too ..he knew I was planning something.

I took another step.

But before I could move again, his hand shot out .. faster than I anticipated ...and yanked me forward, crushing me against his chest.

His arms locked around me like iron bands, and his maddening scent...flooded my senses.

"You're not going anywhere."

I drove my fist into his chest and ducked under his arm, twisting to escape.

But he was faster.

His hand clamped around my waist, lifting me off the ground like I weighed nothing. I gritted my teeth and slammed my forehead into his nose with a sickening crack.

He didn't flinch.

Instead, he snarled and tightened his grip around my neck, spinning me in his arms so my back hit his chest.

I gasped, clawing at his arm as the air was choked from my lungs. Panic shot through me like lightning. My legs kicked uselessly, my nails raking against his skin, but he wouldn't let go.

Tears leaked from my eyes frustrated by my helplessness.

He leaned in, his tongue flicking out to catch the salt on my cheek.

"Ah... I love the taste of your tears," he murmured, voice dark with twisted pleasure.

"You monster," I choked, my voice barely a whisper as I tried to tear his hand from my throat.

In one movement, he shoved me back, pinning me against the nearest tree, the bark digging into my spine. His claws sliced through my dress, the fabric falling away in strips.

I gasped from shock, and from the cold air.

But worse... my wolf purred.

She wanted this. The power. The scent. The domination.

She saw a mate. I saw a monster.

And in that horrifying moment, I realized.. we were no longer on the same side.

He leaned in, his lips latching onto my neck with a force that stole the breath from my lungs. He sucked hard, claiming the space beneath my jaw like it belonged to him... and to my horror, my body responded.

My head tipped back, eyes fluttering shut, a moan slipping out as my vision blurred and my knees weakened.

I hated him.

I hated the way he made me feel. But no matter how much I resisted, my body had already begun to surrender it was worn down by the mate bond, tired of fighting what every cell inside me was screaming to accept.

A traitor's heat pooled between my legs as my wolf purred in the back of my mind.

He wedged his thigh between mine, raising it until the hard muscle pressed against the ache pulsing at my core...right against my clit. My hips jerked in response, betraying me again.

No.

I bit down on my lip to stop another sound from escaping, forcing my head to the side.

"I hate you," I hissed, voice trembling.

He smiled against my skin,

His fingers pushed into me without warning ...two thick fingers invaded my cunt stretching me.

The shock of it sent a jolt through me, my back arching against the tree as a ragged moan tore from my lips. My hands flew to his hair, fingers tangling in the silky strands, clutching him like an anchor in a storm I couldn't escape.

"For someone who claims to hate me," he murmured darkly, "you sure do moan beautifully."

I wanted to curse him. Spit in his face. Deny him everything.

But my body betrayed me again and again, grinding against his hand like it had already surrendered. My wolf was howling, desperate, and pleased.

I didn't know how long he held me there ...pinned to the tree, fingers deep inside me, pulling cries I didn't know I could make. At some point, the words left my mouth before I could stop them:

"Please... just claim me."

That was when the pain hit.

It was Sharp and Burning. Searing into the side of my neck.

I screamed.

"That's to mark you," he whispered against my skin. "So no one forgets your scent. So no one touches what's mine."

The world blurred around me. My legs gave out.

Just before darkness took me, I heard him whisper again, his voice thick with possession.

"You're mine now, rogue."

Then everything went black.

My head throbbed like it had been split open.

Groggy and disoriented, I blinked into the blinding light, the low hum of murmuring voices filling my ears. At first, I thought it was in my head ...a leftover hallucination from the fainted but then I turned, and my blood ran cold.

I stumbled back, nearly falling.

No. No. No.

My worst nightmare had come to life.

I was standing on a raised platform, dressed in a white ceremonial mating dress, thin and laced in gold. My feet were bare, my hair combed and adorned with silver threads.

The entire Blackthorn Pack was gathered before me.

I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe against my hammering heart.

"What is going on?" I gasped, looking around, begging for answers ..for mercy ...from no one in particular.

A voice answered from the steps of the platform.

"What do you think is going on?" Kael's voice rolled over the crowd . He ascended the steps, every inch the Alpha, his purple hair tied back in regal defiance. "I'm about to claim my mate in front of the pack, as per tradition."

"I never agreed to this!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation.

A hush fell over the crowd . The murmurs turned to sharp silence.

"Who are you to talk back to the Alpha?" a voice snapped from the crowd.

A man stepped forward ...one I recognized faintly from the fog of my childhood. His face was older now, harder, but the sneer was familiar.it was the alpha chief adviser.

Before I could react, his hand struck my cheek with a loud crack, snapping my head to the side.

"You filthy rogue. Murderer. You're lucky the Alpha even wants-"

His words were cut off by the sickening sound of flesh tearing.

Blood sprayed across my face.

The man staggered back with wide eyes.. before collapsing in a heap at my feet.

Kael stood behind him, his claws soaked in red.

His gaze locked on mine ..

"No one touches what's mine."

I gasped, unable to tear my eyes away from the body sprawled at my feet.

Blood pooled beneath him, warm and bright against the ceremonial white of my dress.

He was dead.

Killed without hesitation. Because of me.

"Now... shall we continue?" Kael asked, his voice calm. He stepped over the body like it was nothing more than a stain on the ground, his eyes fixed on me with dark finality.

He turned to face the crowd, then looked back at me as if this was just a formality.

"I, Alpha Kael Blackthorn, accept and claim rogue Selene as my mate."

His voice rang out through the crowd like a verdict.

He turned to me fully, and his tone dropped low, edged in command.

"Now do the same. I command you."

Tears slipped silently down my cheeks. My body trembled, my heart cracked wide open.

Every instinct screamed to run, to scream, to fight ...but the Alpha command coiled around my soul like chains.

I swallowed the sob rising in my throat, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I... Selene... accept Alpha Kael as my mate."

The moment the words left my lips, the crowd roared .. but I barely heard them.

Kael moved in an instant.

His mouth latched onto the curve of my neck, and then..he bit down Hard.

I screamed as his canines sank into my flesh, pain flaring like wildfire through my body. Blood spilled down my shoulder, marking me in front of everyone.

But I wasn't going to let him be the only one to leave a scar.

My wolf surged forward and before I could think, I lunged at him, sinking my teeth into the side of his neck, he grunted in surprise as I drew blood. The taste of him flooded my mouth .

The bond pulsed violently between us, golden light flashing for a heartbeat as our blood mingled in the open air.

It was done.

We were mated.

But as I pulled away, my eyes locked on his with hatred.

And a silent vow

This isn't over.